Congress mistrusts Obama’s defense budget
The Washington Times reports that members of Congress are raising many of the same points we discussed yesterday. Connecticut Democrat, Rep. Joe Courtney questioned the reasoning for another round of base realignment when the last one in 2005 hasn’t produced any savings;
“As someone who has spent seven years on the readiness subcommittee dealing with the 2005 budget BRAC which is not going to generate a penny of net savings for 13 years no prior BRAC has been able to do that in less than six years,” Mr. Courtney said. “For a lot of us who’ve spent a lot of time on this issue, that just doesn’t work.”
South Carolina’s Joe Wilson asks Defense Department officials about the justification for raising Tricare costs for veterans;
“And my concern is that we know this is a great program, Tricare. People are very satisfied. Military families appreciate this benefit. Commitments have been made to our veterans and to military families. Why would we be increasing the fees when, in fact, the program is working well?” Mr. Wilson said.
[Defense Undersecretary Robert] Hale replied that increasing enrollment fees would save about $1 billion. “If we don’t do that, we will have to take that money out of readiness or modernization,” he said.
Yeah, well, Mr. Hale, you people already took $770 million dollars out of our surplus for Tricare, and now you’re back with your hand out for another billion bucks. If a private company had done that – take money meant for a healthcare program and used for operations with absolutely no intention whatsoever to replace those raided funds – the government would be coming down on them like a ton of bricks. Don’t veterans deserve the same considerations that the average worker on the street get?
I don’t hear anyone talking about raising out-of-pocket costs for Medicaid to offset spending costs.
Category: Military issues, Veteran Health Care
Don’t worry folks, this is just another example of this administration “not balancing the budget on the backs of veterans”.
If we ever get someone with fiscal competence in the Oval Office, somebody please let me know, okay?
“Yeah, well, Mr. Hale, you people already took $770 million dollars out of our surplus for Tricare, and now you’re back with your hand out for another billion bucks. ”
That’s the essence of this, once a bureaucrat or politician finds a source of revenue (even if they are robbing a promised benefit) they become like a dog on a bone…they will not let go of that source.
This is a disgrace on every level, and your point about private companies is spot on. We in the private sector have to actually have real assets when we claim we create a “trust” fund to provide assets to benefits.
The government robs your money, writes you and IOU that it can’t pay and tells everyone we’re fine…we have some interesting moments on the horizon, the tipping point is rapidly approaching on the IOUs from Treasury in the SS “trust” fund….
With the “trust” like this we don’t need lies.
I know this comment is bound to piss someone off…I feel they should charge active duty troops small co-pays to offset the cost of TRICARE for vets. You have to admit, our pay is pretty decent now a days. I would have no problem paying $10 or $20 a month so that a couple vets could have it easier, plus I know the favor will be returned when I retire.
Dan, “pretty good” you say? Give ya a little bit of a hint–what would your hourly rate be?
Nukes, being the bored types we are, got a pretty good idea of what we’d be making (even with all our bonuses, pro-pay, sea pay, sub pay, etc.) and OT paid at time-and-a-half.
Turns out we were making BELOW minimum wage.
Besides, NJP foreitures go towards programs already. Send some of THAT money towards TRICARE, or better yet, if some sort of program were to be developed where service members could, oh, I dunno, save a few extra bucks or put something away in a mutual fund–oh, wait–THEY CAN!
I agree with Dan. I, also, would not have a problem with a small copay for office visits and pharmacy. The pay is decent these days. I find that most of the people who complain have usually bought a car or some other large ticket item they should not have. I have a teenage daughter and a stay-at-home wife and we live just fine on what the Army pays me. The tax benefits are phenomenal.
Decent pay really? Okay lets take a look at an E-4 with about 5 years in. For the sake of argument I’ll list BAS, (sustinance, i.e. food), however I am not listing BAH, becasue is for housing and if member lives on base they don’t get it.
Base Pay(BEFORE TAXES): 2307.90
Assume about 8% gets taken out in taxes, Fed, State, FICA, etc)
Base Pay after taxes: 2123.27
BAS (non taxable):352.27
Total: 2475.54
Average work day for a military member is 10+ hrs. (Though we are technically commited 24/7). So thats about 200+ hrs a month. Equates to about $12.37 an hr. (if we factor in 24/7 because after all we don’t get paid any OT or shift differential, its only $3.44/hr).
-Ish
Instead of charging vets and active duty, how about we shut down the Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Library, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights and the Office of Congressional Relations? And, the entire Department of Energy? That wouild probably free up enough money, hell, the Office of Civil Rights in the Dept of Ag. is getting $22 Million. Isn’t the DoJ supposed to take care of Civil Rights?
I wasn’t aware that the Dept of Ag has an Office of Rural Housing Service, they’re going to get $1.5 Billion in fiscal ’14. And, it’s a “discretionary program” not mandatory. I thought HUD took care of housing.
Think to make a valid comparison you have to calculate all the freebies… what in-service medical would cost as a civilian, clothing, etc. And I don’t know how ‘salaried’ work is handled where you work, but salaried non-exempt (call it NCO status?) is expected to work all the overtime needed to get the job done. Please understand I am not saying that military pay doesn’t traditionally lag civilian skiller worker pay for the same jobs; but if you want to make a valid comparison you have to actually compare apples and apples. I work for a Chinese company who is constantly pilloried for “slave wages” by people who have absolutely no idea what benefits and buying power the workers receive – I will say, though, that at most reputable companies in China, their workers are treated no worse (and in some cases far better) than typical low-skilled Wal-Mart workers.
UpNorth – not to mention billions in aid to Pakistan, the Muslim Brotherhood, etc. As always, it’s not the hideous amount of money they take in, it’s the even more hideous way they print money and spend it
#9 You may want to take a look at some of the recent court cases. Many courts are finding that even if they are a salaried employee, if they are non-exempt you cannot force them to work OT and not compisate them. IANL so check with on this one.
So you want to compair apples to apples: What would a person working 18+ years in the Computer/Networking Security field, with 2 Master’s and a CISSP, make on average?
Give you a hint way more than the 79K or so that the military claims an E-7 over 18 years is ‘worth’. (Yearly “worth statement” that covers things like housing, commisary benifits, insurance, and even health care).
-Ish
@5 and 7. The whole hourly rate is something that has always pissed me off. Yes, while deployed and during FTX’s, etc, we work crazy hours. I myself have put in months of 18 and 20 hour days, just like everyone else. There isn’t a single active duty guy that can say for the last x years, I WORKED 12 hours a day. Yes, you are not home with your family, but how much WORK do you get done on a daily basis? I have always said, “90% of my time is spent standing around waiting for something to happen.” Of course, that is an average over my 20+ years of slightly better than mediocre service. It is a somewhat valid argument when discussing our pay vs civilian pay. But honestly guys, how many hours and days have you spent just bullshitting in the PLT CP?
@7 What about BAH? COLA? What’s the value of your medical if you have a family? Say, family of 5…You are easily paying north of $600/month. The tax benefits while deployed, or shopping in the PX/commissary, buying gas on base! The military is the best place to better your position. If you don’t like your situation, change it! This coming from a guy (talking about myself) that was a total scum in high school and was lucky to graduate, joined the Army, made E7 in average time then decided to go to the dark (Warrant) side. Is my pay pretty good? Yes. Will I get a decent retirement? Yes. Is my situation/experience unique? No, not at all. We all have the same opportunities.
#13, I’m not syaing I dissagree entirely. Just saying asking us to pay even more for what has been a recruitment tool, i.e. health care and retirement, gauls especially when you take into account them raiding the TRICARE surplus…
Also not saying our benifits are all bad, but when you take into account, the deployments, having to up root the family every 3 or so years, and last but not least the unlimited liability clause, i.e. each and every one of have sworn to guard the country with our lives if neccessary, the idea that they are going to take away more to balance their inability to live with in their means (i.e. not spending more than they take-in in taxes) compaired to mention billions in aid to Pakistan, the Muslim Brotherhood, etc., gauls.
-Ish
It’s funny because $1 billion is chump change in Washington.
Solynda: $528 million lost.
A123 Systems: #249 million lost.
Fisker Automotive: $193 million lost.
Ecotality: $115 million lost.
Evergreen Solar: $527 million lost.
Ener1: $118 million lost.
Total: $1 Billion 730 million.
These are only a couple of the failed green jobs. There are many more that the administration deemed worthy enough to invest in. Can’t invest in veteran’s health though…
@11 Isnala – you are 100% correct, and for some reason I mis-typed ‘non-exempt’ when I meant exempt. My wife is in HR, I have done management – we’re real clear on the concept. I just brainfarted.
Deployment – good points to bring up…but then, civilian jobs do them too. My son-in-law works off-shore rigs – 3 weeks gone, three weeks back. My neighbor worked for BP 12 hours on, 12 off, at a plant 50miles away – until they moved him to Prudhoe Bay where he does the same as many in my company do, three months gone, 10 days home. Not all civilian jobs are 9-5, and not all military jobs are extreme. Note, too – when the military move you, they pay for it. Nowadays, if your job moves, you mostly move yourself or hit the bricks.
These are the same people demanding tougher gun laws while failing to enforce existing ones. Not at all surprising…